Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush — one of the top potential GOP contenders for a 2016 presidential run — has been tapped to become chairman of the Board of Trustees at the prestigious National Constitution Center, succeeding former President Bill Clinton.
Bush is the second in his family to serve as the chairman of center’s Board of Trustees — his father former President George H.W. Bush had the post in 2007.
“I am honored to have this opportunity and am humbled to follow in the footsteps of my beloved father . . . who first exemplified to me what it means to be a good citizen and to uphold the ideals expressed within the U.S. Constitution,” said Bush, 59, who governed the Sunshine State from 1999-2007.
“The National Constitution Center’s mission to improve civic education and engagement and inspire active citizenship is filling a critical void in our country,” Bush said. “I will do my best to advance the Center’s mission and continue the vision set forth by President Clinton’s leadership these last three years.”
The mission of the nonprofit center, which houses a museum in Philadelphia, is to promote understanding of the United States Constitution.
In stepping down, Clinton said: “It has been a great honor to serve as the Center’s Board Chairman for the past three years, and I couldn’t be more pleased that Governor Bush will lead this world-class museum into the future.
“[He] will be an eloquent spokesman for the Center’s mission and will work well with all of the Center’s supporters regardless of party.”
Doug DeVos, Chairman of the Center’s Executive Committee, said Bush will be integral in advancing the museum’s work.
“As someone who has carried on the legacy of active citizenship set forth by our Founding Fathers, Governor Bush embodies the Center’s core values,’’ DeVos said.
The National Constitution Center is the first and only nonprofit, nonpartisan institution devoted to the most powerful vision of human freedom ever expressed: the U.S. Constitution.
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